Booming economy earned Fort Myers a presidential visit

Being the fastest-growing city in America has its perks. For one thing, you might get to host the President of the United States.

Economic growth is on the rise across the country, but nowhere is the boom having a greater impact thanright here in Fort Myers, the site of a Make America Great Again rally by President Trump as he heads into the home stretch of his national midterm campaign tour.

The unemployment rate in Lee County fell toan astounding 2.9 percentin September — even lower than the still-impressive 3.5 percent rate for Florida as a whole. As a result, with employers scrambling to fill job openings, wages are on the rise and politicians are suggesting that the biggest obstacle to the region’s continued growth will be a lack of skilled laborers.

Indeed, nearly 80 businesses participated in a recent job fair at Florida Southwestern State College, but while organizers were expecting between 1,200 and 1,500 job-seekers, only about 800 showed up.

Jim Wall, communications director forCareerSource Southwest Florida, credits the “amazing” unemployment figures for creating such a tight labor market, expressing hope that workers from the north might start moving in to fill the labor shortage.

Fort Myers alone has added more than 17,000 jobs over the past year, nearly half of which are in construction, trade, transportation, and utilities.

Along with this job growth, we also have broad economic expansion thanks to President Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which has boosted the entire community. The average family here in the 19th Congressional District issaving $1,918 per yearthanks to the President’s historic tax cuts, and individuals have seen their average tax burden reduced by $1,336.

While this has offered great relief for Florida families, it’s worth remembering that the tax cuts only passed by the slimmest of margins becauseevery single Democratvoted against them, and against allowing Floridians to keep a larger share of their own money.

Republicans are now working on a next round, “Tax Cuts 2.0,” to expand on those tax cuts and make them permanent, but that will never become a reality if the obstructionist Democrats get their way.

Democrat leaders like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have already made it clear thatthey will try to undo the President’s tax cutsif their party takes control of Congress after the midterm elections.

David Holden, the Democrat candidate in the 19th Congressional District, says the President’s middle class tax cuts are nothing more than “tax scams and fiscal tricks,” openly proclaiming that repealing them will be “the first item on the agenda of the next Congress” if Democrats win a majority.

It’s not just tax cuts and economic growth that are at stake, though. Holdenbacks Pelosi policiesacross the board, supporting radical pro-abortion and gun control policies, as well as amnesty for illegal immigrants. He is also an enthusiasticsupporter of Obamacare, which has caused health insurance premiums toincrease by over 70 percentin Florida since it was enacted.

Republican Congressman Francis Rooney, on the other hand, not only voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, but has beena consistent supporterof President Trump’s pro-growth policy agenda overall.

Republican Senate candidate Rick Scott also has a stellar economic record as governor that makes him a safe bet for Florida, and for all voters who want the good times to keep rolling.

Gov. Scottcut taxes by more than $10 billionduring his time in Tallahassee, and he’s even leaving a parting gift in the form ofthe Amendment 5 ballot measure. If approved by voters, Amendment 5 will make it harder for state politicians to hike our taxes in the future by requiring a two-thirds majority for all future statewide tax increases.

Reelecting Congressman Rooney and sending Rick Scott to the Senate would be a great way for Fort Myers to continue to grow. President Trump came to see America’s fastest-growing city for himself. By sending great leaders such as Rooney and Scott to Washington who will help the President with continued economic growth policies, we can keep Fort Myers on track for more.